Energy Booster Juice

I love carbs, sweets, salt, fried food, you name it. Unfortunately, sugar and I have developed a bit of a love/hate relationship (weighing heavily on the love side). I was never much of a sweets person until I went to culinary school. And then everything changed. Having an amazing dessert every afternoon for 6 months will do that to you. These days I always leave room for dessert and have become just as much of a baker as a cook (people often ask me why the blog is called Savory Simple when I share so many dessert recipes. There’s your answer.) But there’s a downside to all the sugar. The more I consume, the more I find myself craving additional sugar and food. That’s kind of nutrition 101, but it REALLY applies to me. I like to joke that I’m really good at eating when I’m not hungry. For that and a few other reasons, I detox a few times per year.

For 7-10 days, I cut out all sugar, gluten, dairy, caffeine, soy, and processed foods. People always ask “What do you eat?? Is that healthy?” I enjoy veggies, fruit, grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, eggs, coconut milk, nut milks, meat, etc. If you’re a decent cook it’s actually quite easy. And any meal plan with guacamole is alright by me. After several days I feel amazing. Tons of energy, no cravings and and even a sense of euphoria. It kind of resets my body. And then it’s back to business as usual!

I began my most recent detox this past Sunday and this one took things a step further. I’m doing a “High Raw” detox which is 75% raw. The only cooked foods I’m eating are quinoa and beans. When I first read the details of the cleanse I was very hesitant. Could I do this? Would it be enough protein? Would I be hungry all the time? What would I eat???? Talk about leaving my comfort zone. But it turns out there’s plenty to eat and none of it’s boring. I haven’t been hungry at all and my cravings have completely vanished.

I’ve done cleanses with a few local companies and this time I’m working with Lisa Consiglio Ryan from Whole Health Designs. I’ve worked with her before and her detox programs are incredible. She has graciously allowed me to share a recipe from this latest cleanse for Energy Booster Juice. Fresh juice has been a great part of this process (though it’s still easy to detox without a juicer). Since Lisa knows a lot more about this stuff than I do, I asked her to explain some of the benefits of juice and detoxing:

Detoxing is important (at least once every season). We are exposed to environmental toxins that we can’t control either due to construction or the beauty products we use on our skin, the largest organ. Not to mention the processed foods and GMOs. We’ve been depleted of nutrients due to factory farming. 80 years ago we were getting a better quality of produce, etc… now we have to take responsibility for our health and a great way to get a reboot and give your body a break is cleansing.

As for juicing, the main reason is to feed your blood liquid nutrition immediately. Your cells will be able to soak up the chlorophyll from the plants and use it quicker and more efficiently without having the body work too hard.

I’m always going to love the butter, sugar and flour. Food is something that brings me a tremendous amount of joy. But I think it’s also important to take a timeout once in awhile for balance and good health. Please visit Lisa at Whole Health Designs to learn more about her wonderful programs! You’ll be glad you did.

Good luck with your cleanse! I hope it goes well for you. I don’t think I could or would want to do one. I’ve always heard they’re really not necessary because it’s our bodies job to detoxify itself. Is this not true? I think we all have to do what works for us.

We got a juicer a few months ago and while it was expensive, we’ve loved being able to make our own juice. We had watermelon mint last night, actually. This recipe sounds great — we will definitely try it.

I am a sweet tooth but I’m trying to fight it :) I made a break like yours one year ago and it was amazing, but obviously hard during the first 3 days when I could kill for a cup of coffee. Need to repeat it :)

I recently bought a juicer and LOVE the carrot/orange or carrot/apple combination. I did an accidental detox (I didn’t set out to do it but it tasted so good that all I wanted was juice!) and after two days I thought I had a bad flu. Turns out that is very common if you’ve never detoxed before! I didn’t know that though (my fault – I should have done more research). A friend of mine encouraged me to stick with it for another day or two since she claimed that my body would adjust and I’d start to feel amazing. I wish I’d listened to her since I’m sure she was right, but I had so much going on that week and I needed to feel better right away. I’d do it again though, only this time I’d make sure I didn’t have a crazy busy week going!

I’ll definitely try this juice though! I’ve never tried that combo with mint and it sounds delicious!!

I used to juice all the time when we lived abroad, and I think it’s about time I invest in a juicer again. I really miss it and this combo sounds fantastic. I loved what you said about always like flour, sugar, etc. I feel the same way about myself. I don’t do full detoxes, but I do pull the reigns in for a while every now and then to get back on track.

Thanks for all the info. Jen! For as wonderful as sugar, butter, and flour are, they do tend to creep on you…literally. I’ve never tried a cleanse diet, mostly because I don’t want to fall into the negative mind-set I had during my ana days, but this cleanse sounds healthy, and doable!
And that juice looks so vibrant; I can almost feel myself getting healthier just by looking at the photo. :D

I’ve wondered about purchasing a juicer…we have a Vitamix so it’s been hard to feel the “necessity.” This combination sounds pretty delicious and I’ve got to give it a go in the blender just to see. I’m about ready for a detox…just before we head off to Europe to undo the whole thing! (As always is the case, your photo’s beautiful.)

I like the idea of a detox…it’s more challenging when you have a hungry teenager and husband to feed. Think I might give this a try in the fall when said teenager leaves for college…I think my husband would be fine with it as long as I put a plate of food in front of him every night!

I have been really interested in juicing and detox for quite some time
I have a friend who goes on a 7 day juicing detox every three months and she swears by it
Thank you for the push and the inspiration to give this a try

We just got a hand me down juicer and this looks like a great recipe to start with. I am off to the farmer’s market this weekend (since my mint plant is not so healthy) to pick up some fresh fruits and veggies!

Great post Jen! I haven’t ever done a detox but that’s not saying I shouldn’t! :) The juice looks great. Thank you for taking time to answer my email recently. You are a gem!
Catherinehttp://www.praycookblog.com

Hi, I’m Jen

I’m a Maryland native living just outside of Washington DC. I graduated from culinary school in 2010 and have been cooking and baking professionally ever since. My goal at Savory Simple is to create everyday gourmet recipes that are easy to prepare at home. Thanks for visiting!

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